Wednesday MidDay Medley
TEN to NOON Wednesdays – Streaming at KKFI.org
90.1 FM KKFI – Kansas City Community Radio
Produced and Hosted by Mark Manning

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Spinning With Mills
+ Confessions of a Belly Dancer + A Little Night Music

1. Wye Oak– “Glory”
from: Shriek / Merge Records / April 29, 2014
[Indie folk rock duo from Baltimore, Maryland, composed of Andy Stack (drums, keyboards, backup vocals) and Jenn Wasner (vocals, guitars). Their sound has been described as “earnest folk-influenced indie rock with touches of noise and dream pop”. Wasner sings lead vocals and plays electric or acoustic guitar, while Stack plays both drums and keyboards, playing the drums with his feet and right hand, and the bass line with his left hand. The band was formed as Monarch in mid-2006, before changing their name to Wye Oak, a reference to the former state tree of their home state of Maryland. They released their first album If Children independently in 2007 and subsequently signed to Merge Records in 2008.]

[Wye Oak plays The Granada, 1020 Massachusetts Street, Lawrence, Kansas, Saturday, May 17.]

2. Good Graeff – “Hold Me Fast”
from: Better Half / Independent / April 7, 2013
[The group originated as a duo when twin sisters Brooke and Brit, formed Good Graeff (pronounced “grayf”). at 16, playing on street corners of Sarasota, FL. At 18, Brooke moved to Canada to become a foley artist and Brit studied marketing and international business and eventually settled in Hanoi, Vietnam. Brooke joined her there in 2012, and Good Graeff was born into its second life.]

[Good Graeff played Middle of the Map Fest, April 5, 8 pm at recordBar in Westport. They’re back in town to play The Riot Room, Tuesday, May 20.]

3. The Pains of Being Pure At Heart – “Until the Sun Explodes”
from: Days of Abandon / Painbow Music – Rebo Music / May 13, 2014
[Noise pop/indie pop band from NYC. The band comprises singer and guitarist Kip Berman, drummer Kurt Feldman, Alex Naidus on bass, and Peggy Wang on keyboard and vocals. In late 2009, Christoph Hochheim joined the band as a live member. When Hochheim departed in late 2011, Connor Hanwick (of The Drums) replaced him in January 2012. Their first album was a self-released EP, released in 2007. The release was distributed by Painbow – a record label created by the band. Their debut self-titled full-length album was released on February 3, 2009 via Slumberland Records, a personal favorite label of the band’s. Their name comes from an unpublished children’s story of the same title. A friend of Kip Berman wrote the story, which revolves around “realising what matters most in life – things like friendship and having a good time”]

[The Pains of Being Pure At Heart play the Recordbar, 1020 Westport Rd. tomorrow night, May 15.]

10:15 – Interview with Raksanna,Theresa Maze, and Jen Harris

After astounding audiences in sold out shows in Chicago and New York, Confessions of a Belly Dancer will debut its third installment of the show Confessions of a Belly Dancer; The Heartland of America, plays Kansas City this Saturday, May 17, at 8:00 pm, at the H&R Block City Stage, Union Station, 30 W Pershing Road, Kansas City, MO. Roxanne Larcher is Raksanna, the writer, producer, lead performer of Confessions of a Belly Dancer, she joins us to tell us more about this international collection of vignettes which tell the intimate stories of women through the art form of belly dancing.

Also joining us is in the conversation, Theresa Maze, a Kansas City based belly dancer, and our friend, writer Jen Harris is working to spread the word about this show.

Confessions of a Belly Dancer is also a book.

Confessions of a Belly Dancer features an international collection of vignettes which tell the intimate stories of women through the art form of belly dancing. This show portrays actual life events. Can you share some of the scenes from the show?

Some material may not be suitable for all audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.

Hand selected for this astonishing production, Kansas City’s finest belly dancers join Raksanna’s Desert Flames Near East Dance Ensemble. Theresa Maze spoke about how she started dancing.

Belly Dancing as a transformative celebration of courage and triumph.

Confessions’ includes remarkable original works by international composers Momo Kadous and award-winning Dr. Samy Farag.

With each new production comes innovative and unique choreography by Raksanna and striking costumes by Egyptian designer Mohammed Mahmoud.

Confessions of a Belly Dancer will debut its third installment of the show Confessions of a Belly Dancer; The Heartland of America, plays Kansas City this Saturday, May 17, at 8:00 pm, at the H&R Block City Stage, Union Station, 30 W Pershing Road, Kansas City, MO.

More info at: http://www.confessionsofabellydancer.com or http://www.unionstation.org

10:29 – Underwriting

10:31

4. Glynis Johns & Harold Hastings – “Send In the Clowns”
from: The Best of Broadway: The American Musical (Remastered) / UMG / October 5, 2004
[Original 1973 Recording. “Send in the Clowns” is a song written by Stephen Sondheim for the 1973 musical A Little Night Music. Sondheim wrote the song specifically for the actress Glynis Johns, who created the role of Desirée on Broadway. The song is structured with four verses and a bridge, and uses a complex compound meter. It became Sondheim’s most popular song after Frank Sinatra recorded it in 1973 and Judy Collins’ version charted in 1975 and 1977. Subsequently, Sarah Vaughan, Judi Dench, Grace Jones, Barbra Streisand, Shirley Bassey, Zarah Leander, Tiger Lillies, Ray Conniff, Glenn Close, Cher and many other artists recorded the song and it became a jazz standard.]

10:35 – Interview with Andy Parkhurst and Lauren Braton

Spinning Tree Theatre’s production of “A Little Night Music” just opened to critical acclaim and is up and running through May 24, at the Off Center Theatre, in Crown Center, 2450 Grand, Kansas City, MO. Set in 1900 Sweden and inspired by the Ingmar Bergman film “Smiles of a Summer Night.” The “Send in the Clowns” musical, was the winner of the 1973 Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Original Score and Best Book of a Musical. Joining us in our 90.1 FM studios are: Lauren Braton (Countess Charlotte Malcolm in A Little Night Music) and Andy Parkhurst (Choreographer, Producer, Managing Director).

Lauren’s voice was featured on the show, last year Mark Titus was our guest and he shared a recording of lauren singing – “Holding To The Ground from (Falsettoland)” from: Take The Stage / The Unicorn Theatre 40th Anniversary Gala / August 11, 2013.

Lauren Braton plays Countess Charlotte Malcolm. This is her Spinning Tree: Debut. Her local credits: Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Coterie Theatre, Starlight Theatre, American Heartland Theatre, Unicorn Theatre, Quality Hill Playhouse, Musical Theater Heritage, Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre and Kansas City Civic Opera. Regional: Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre, Seagle Music Colony New York. She also stays busy with commercial and film work, and teaches private voice at Kansas City Young Audiences. Up next: Jazz in the Woods at Corporate Woods in June. http://www.laurenbraton.com

From Pitch review: “Lauren Braton is exceptional as the caustic Charlotte, who relies on wry humor to mask her wounds. Braton has some of the show’s sharpest comic timing, but she’s also a rich mezzo whose range powers the stirring “Every Day a Little Death.” Vigthor Zophoniasson is imposing as Count Malcolm, and Liz Golson lends her strong voice and keen edge to Petra, a maid who attempts to seduce Fredrik’s brooding son, Henrik (played by Daniel Beeman).”

Cast: Melinda MacDonald, Charles Fugate, Lauren Braton, Molly Denninghoff, Liz Clark Golson, Cathy Wood, and Vigthor Zophoniasson.

From Pitch review: “Director Michael Grayman elevates a formidable cast to new heights with a few smart adjustments, such as shaving the five-person chorus to four. It’s the right call for this space, where subtlety and intimacy help emotions cut deep. And each performer makes a sizable impression.”

From Pitch review: “Melinda MacDonald portrays the aging Desiree with confidence, and her husky lower register has a resonance in which we can splash around. Her talent is on full display in an expressive “Send in the Clowns,” a cabaret mainstay that she makes her own.”

The orchestra, is directed by Angie Benson. Kaytee Dietrich and Andy Johnson, on reeds and French horn.

Remaining performances:

Thurs May 15 at 7:30pm
Fri May 16 at 8:00pm
Sat May 17 at 2:00pm
Sat May 17 at 8:00pm
Sun May 18 at 2:00pm

Mon May 19 at 7:30pm
Thurs May 22 at 7:30pm
Fri May 23 at 8:00pm
Sat May 24 at 2:00pm
Sat May 24 at 8:00pm

Spinning Tree Theatre’s production of “A Little Night Music” runs through May 24, at the Off Center Theatre, in Crown Center, 2450 Grand, Kansas City, MO. More info at http://www.spinningtreetheatre.com

10:50

5. Papercuts – “Life Among the Savages”
from: Life Among the Savages / Independent / May 6, 2014
[Indie pop project centered around San Francisco songwriter/producer Jason Robert Quever. Born in Arcata, California, Quever moved to the bay area during grade school, living in various places until settling in San Francisco. He began making home recordings after buying a four-track recording desk at the age of 15, and his first work as an engineer/producer was on Cass McCombs’ Not the Way EP in 2002. The first official release as Papercuts was 2004’s Mockingbird (on Oaklands Antenna Farm Records). The band’s next two albums, Can’t Go Back (2007) and You Can Have What You Want (2009), were released on the Gnomonsong label, before the band signed with Sub Pop records in 2010, releasing the Fading Parade album in 2011.]

6. Morrissey – “You’re Gonna Need Someone On Your Side ” (Vinyl)
from: Satellite of Love / Parlaphone / January 24, 2014 (2014 – Remaster)
[Live track released with Morrissey’s live cover of “Satellite of Love” was first digitally released on December 2, 2013 as a tribute to Lou Reed, following his death in 2013. The song was recorded on November 25, 2011 in at the Chelsea Ballroom of Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, Nevada. The 7″ and 12″ vinyl version and a three-track digital version were also released on January 28, 2014. All three versions of the single were supported by additional live tracks, including a rendition of The Smiths song, “Vicar in a Tutu,” a cover of Buzzcocks song “You Say You Don’t Love Me” and his 1992 song, “You’re Gonna Need Someone on Your Side.”]

[Morrissey plays Liberty Hall in Lawrence Kansas, Tuesday, May 20, with Kristeen Young]

11:00 – Station ID

11:00 – Spinning With Mills

We are so very happy to welcome Judy Mills and Chris LaBeau from Mills Record Company who join us for some Spinning With Mills.

Judy Mills is a native of Pittsburg, Kansas. She attended Kansas State, where she earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English. Judy Mills worked as a teaching assistant, and an adjunct professor, teaching writing and English. She worked at Johnson County Community College. She worked as an account executive for Clinique, and then worked for several years at Restoration Hardware, until the Leawood store closed and she took a hiatus. After about a year of taking a break Judy Mills began to focus on her new vision, and in early May, 2013, Judy opened, Mills Record Company, at 314 Westport Rd, KCMO.

Christian LaBeau was born in Ontario, Canada but grew up in St Louis, Missouri for most of his life. He moved to Kansas City in 2006. Chris worked for Streetside Records from 1996 to 2011 in both St Louis and Kansas City. Chris joined Mills Record Co in June 2013. Chris was in a few bands in St Louis. Since 2008 Chris has been working as a DJ in Kansas City playing soul records under the name. “The Dropout Boogie”

Congratulations to Mills record Company for their one year anniversary and fabulous Record Store Day April 20th.

11:05 – Judy Spins

7. The Carpenters – “Superstar”
from: Carpenters / A & M Records / May 1971
[3rd album from vocal and instrumental duo, consisting of siblings Karen and Richard Carpenter. During a period in the 1970s when louder and wilder rock was in great demand, Richard and Karen produced a distinctively soft musical style that made them among the best-selling music artists of all time. Carpenters’ melodic pop produced a record-breaking run of hit recordings on the American Top 40 and Adult Contemporary charts, and they became leading sellers in the soft rock, easy listening and adult contemporary genres. Carpenters had three No. 1 singles and five No. 2 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and fifteen No. 1 hits on the Adult Contemporary chart. In addition, they had twelve top 10 singles (including their No. 1 hits). To date, Carpenters’ album and single sales total more than 100 million units. During their 14-year career, the Carpenters recorded 11 albums, thirty-one singles, five television specials, and a short-lived television series. They toured in the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, the Netherlands and Belgium. Their recording career ended with Karen’s death in 1983 at age 32 from heart failure following complications of anorexia nervosa. Extensive news coverage of the circumstances surrounding her death increased public awareness of the consequences of eating disorders.]

8. Tracey Thorn – “Why Does the Wind”
from: Love and Its Opposite (Bonus Track Version) / Merge Records / May 18, 2010
[Tracey Anne Thorn (born September 26, 1962) is an English pop singer and songwriter. She is best known as being one half of the duo Everything but the Girl, formed in Hull in 1982, consisting of lead singer and occasional guitarist Tracey Thorn and guitarist, keyboardist, and singer Ben Watt. The youngest of three children, Thorn was born in Brookmans Park, Hatfield, Hertfordshire. She grew up in Hatfield and studied English at the University of Hull, where she graduated in 1984 with First Class Honours. She later took an MA degree at Birkbeck College, University of London. After 28 years as a couple, Thorn and Ben Watt married in 2009 at Chelsea Register Office. They live in Hampstead, North London. The couple have twin daughters Alfie and Jean, born in 1998, and a son Blake born in 2001. Thorn released her autobiography, Bedsit Disco Queen: How I Grew Up and Tried to Be a Pop Star, early in 2013.]

9. Little Dragon – “Klapp Klapp” (Vinyl)
from: Nabuma Rubberband / Republic Records / May 13, 2014
[Little Dragon are a Swedish band from Gothenburg, Sweden, formed in 1996. It consists of singer Yukimi Nagano (vocals, percussion) and her close high school friends Erik Bodin (drums), Fredrik Källgren Wallin (bass) and Håkan Wirenstrand (keyboards). The band’s name was inspired by the “Little Dragon” nickname Nagano earned due to the “fuming tantrums” she used to throw while recording in the studio. “It’s a little exaggerated but there is some truth in it”, Nagano said. “But we’ve grown up a bit and I realised you can’t have a fit every day because otherwise you won’t be able to stand each other.”]

10. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds- “Mermaids”
from: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Live at KCRW / Bad Seed Ltd. / December 2, 2013
[Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are an Australian alternative rock band that was formed in Melbourne in 1983 by frontman Nick Cave, multi-instrumentalist Mick Harvey and guitarist Blixa Bargeld. The band has featured international personnel throughout its career and presently consists of Cave, violinist and multi-instrumentalist Warren Ellis, bassist Martyn P. Casey, keyboard player Barry Adamson and percussionist Jim Sclavunos (United States). The band has released fifteen studio albums and completed numerous international tours.]

11:30 – Underwriting

11:31 – Chris Spins

11. Tony Ashley – “Just a Taste”(Vinyl)
from: 45 Single Release (B-Side of “I’ll Go Crazy”) / Decca / 1968
[Tony Ashley and the Delicates were artists on the Forte label, based in kansas City, that was owned and operated by Ellis Taylor. Taylor was briefly married to Marva Whitney, hence a few of her titles appeared as local releases on Forte. All of the Forte material was in-house, usually recorded at Damon Studios in downtown KC. Ellis Taylor also produced the three Tony Ashley releases on Decca. Tony Ashley was murdered in Kansas City, the early 1970s.]

12. Marva Whitney – “Daddy Don’t Know About Sugar Bear” (Vinyl)
from: 45 / Forte / 1972
[Included in Eccentric Soul: The Forte Label / Numero Group – Cleanteen Records / Sept. 3, 2013. Born Marva Ann Manning, May 1, 1944 in Kansas City, Kansas. Whitney’s performing career started as early as three years old while touring with her family’s gospel group, the Manning Gospel Singers. In 1960, when she was 16, she joined a Kansas gospel group, the Alma Whitney Singers, and ended up marrying Harry Whitney, the brother-in-law of the group’s leader. Ever since, she has gone by her married name, Marva Whitney. Marva Whitney is well known as a funk vocalist. Singing with James Brown in the late 1960s, she was able to make a name for herself with powerful songs like “I’m Tired, I’m Tired, I’m Tired (Things Better Change Before Its Too Late)” and “If You Don’t Work (You Can’t Eat).” Her recording of “It’s My Thing (You Can’t Tell Me Who to Sock It To)” reached the R&B Top 20. Her song “Unwind Yourself” has been sampled numerous times, most recognisably by DJ Mark the 45 King on his 1987 track “The 900 Number”, which was then sampled by DJ Chad Jackson on his 1990 hit single “Hear the Drummer (Get Wicked)” (UK #3 in July 1990), by DJ Kool on his 1996 hit “Let Me Clear My Throat” (UK #6 in March 1997), Sway on his 2009 track Mercedes Benz and Mac Miller on his 2011 track Party On Fifth Ave. In 2006, Marva Whitney collaborated with German born DJ/collector/manager DJ Pari and Japanese funk orchestra Osaka Monaurail to produce a new single, “I Am What I Am”. Osaka Monaurail style themselves on the James Brown sound and the single was produced in the fashion of an authentic release of the recordings she produced with Brown in 1969. Two successful tours of Japan and a full length album release followed, also entitled “I Am What I Am”. In 2007, 2008 and 2009, the tour was also brought to Europe. In December 2009, Whitney collapsed on stage in front of thousands of fans in Lorne, Australia, while performing with The Transatlantics at Falls Festival. She was immediately rushed to Geelong Hospital, where doctors diagnosed a stroke. The remaining dates of her tour had to be canceled, but Whitney made a recovery and performed again in 2010. In December 2012, Whitney died from complications of pneumonia at her home. She was 68.]

13. The Dirtbombs – “Underdog”
from: Ulltraglide in Black / In the Red Records / May 29, 2001
[Detroit, Michigan based band, notable for blending diverse influences such as punk rock and soul while featuring a dual bass guitar, dual drum and guitar lineup. The Dirtbombs were formed by Mick Collins (of the influential garage punk band The Gories) as a side project and started recording songs by 1995.]

14. PRETTY – “Mustache In Your Face” (Vinyl)
from: 7″ / Independent / 1969/1970
(never officially released until Numero reissued it in 2013)
[The Numero Group’s 700 series kicks off with three ferociously rockin’ double seven-inch dispatches from the American Midwest. Hailing from Kansas City, Pretty were more famously known as the Fabulous Four, a local beat combo that ground their way through the K.C. club scene from 1959 to 1976. In 1969, they buried themselves in a hole in a Missouri hillside, known as the Cavern Recording Studio, alongside Electric Prunes drummer Michael “Quint” Weakley. Together, they churned out eight tracks as Pretty — earthy, grooving hard rock pushed to the hilt with stuttering, psychedelic Wurlitzer work and some supremely heeeeeavy fuzzed-out electric guitar riffs. The title track, “Mustache in Your Face,” is the pick of this litter, featuring hilariously incongruous lyrics about “a girl/yeah yeah,” “the devil and the monkeys are comin’ upstairs,” and “what a lie, what a lie/mustache in your face.” Don’t bother trying to parse out the sentiments, just keep these psychedelic scorchers on rotation; all the b-sides are killers in their own rights. -Michael Stasiak (January 25, 2013) Bob Theen told Garage Hangover: “To my knowledge the record was not distributed at all. After the sessions, Weekly took off for California to try and sell them to someone. Don’t think he had any luck, and we didn’t see much of him after that.” On March 22, 2008, The Fabulous Four Band (Bob Theen – Jeff Mann – Mike Myers – Mark Higbee & original drummer Alex Love) was inducted into the Kansas Music Hall Of Fame.]

15. Dirty Projectors – “Two Doves”
from: Bitte Orca / Domino / 2009
[7th release from Brooklyn-based, experimental band, released June 9. The word “bitte” is a German word for “please,” and “orca” is another name for a killer whale. This was one of our 100 best recordings of 2009]

16. Dead Rider – “Blank Screen”
from: Chills On Glass / Drag City / 2014
[Dead Rider, formerly known as D. Rider, is an experimental rock band from Chicago, formed by 2009. It features: Todd Rittman (guitar, lead vocals), Noah Tabakin (saxophone), Andrea Faught (keyboard, trumpet), Matt Espy (drums) – who replaced former member Theo Katsaounis (drums) in 2010.]

17. Mr. Bungle – “The Air-Conditioned Nightmare”
from: California / Warner Brothers / July 2, 1999
[Experimental band from Eureka, California. The band was formed in 1985 while the members were still in high school, and was named after a children’s educational film regarding bad habits which was featured in a Pee-wee Herman HBO special in the early ’80s. Mr. Bungle released four demo tapes in the mid to late 1980s before being signed to Warner Bros. Records and releasing three full-length studio albums between 1991 and 1999. The band toured in 2000 to support their last album but in 2004 they disbanded. Although Mr. Bungle went through several line up changes early in their career, the longest-serving members were vocalist Mike Patton, guitarist Trey Spruance, bassist Trevor Dunn, saxophonist Clinton “Bär” McKinnon and drummer Danny Heifetz. Mr. Bungle was known for its distinctive musical traits, often cycling through several musical genres within the course of a single song. Many of its songs had an unconventional structure and utilized a wide array of instruments and samples. Live shows often featured members dressing up and an array of cover songs. An ongoing feud with Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis escalated in the late 1990s, with Kiedis removing Mr. Bungle from a number of large music festivals in Europe.]

Mills Record Company is located at 314 Westport Road, KCMO, http://www.millsrecordcompany.com or call 816-960-3775

Next week on Wednesday, May 21, we’ll talk with members of the band The Lucky, plus Sherman Brenneman joins us a guest producer for our second hour.

Don’t Forget:

The Spring Dance, Saturday, May 31, at 7:00 pm, at Knuckleheads Saloon, 2715 Rochester, KCMO, featuring: Grand Marquis, Starhaven Rounders, The New Riddim. and MY BROTHERS & SISTERS. More info at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Spice-of-Life-Productions

For Wednesday MidDay Medley I’m Mark Manning. Thanks for listening!

11:59:30

18. Noel Coward – “The Party’s Over Now”
from: Noel Coward in New York / drg / 2003 [orig. 1957]

Sources for notes on tracks and interview segments come from: artist’s websites and wikipedia.org and where noted.

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Show #525